How Do I Get Work With No Experience?
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- I often get asked, "How do I get work without any experience?" Often people decide to work for free thinking that this will get them "in" with a client.
While working for free will get you experience, its a terrible idea. Working for free is career suicide. The "client" will know you as the person who works for free. You cheapen your own work and you will be the "go to" photographer when the client doesn't have the budget for the pro.
So how do you gain experience to hopefully break into the business. In this video, I'll tell you what you need to do.
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Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
3100 Main St #135
Dallas, Texas 75226
My name is Ted Forbes and I make videos about photography. I’ve been making photographs most of my life and I have a tremendously deep passion for photography that I want to share with you on RUclips.
The Art of Photography is my channel and I produce photography videos to provide a 360 degree look into the world of making images. We all want to get better so lets do this together!
I make videos covering famous photographers, photography techniques, composition, the history of photography and much more.
I also have a strong community of photographers who watch the show and we frequently do social media challenges for photographers to submit their own work. I feature the best and most interesting on the show when we do these so come check it out and get involved!
So come check it out! If you’re a fan of DigitalRev, Fro Knows Photo (Jared Polin), Matt Grainger (That Nikon Guy) or Tony Northrup - you’ll love The Art of Photography. I make video’s giving you a deeper dive into photography techniques, composition and history to compliment the other channels you love to watch. 
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If you work for free, you suddenly get a lot of 'friends'
Ha! Soo true though.
Ain’t it true
And Obviuslu never get paid....
* Obviously
How?
This is the best answer on RUclips BY FAR for this very complex question. I am still building up my photography business, but what I did, that in the beginning I asked close friends to take their portraits/couple pictures and all that, to build my portfolio. Once I had enough pictures to show (5-6 in different topics, which I really liked), I created a webpage and a Facebook page and started advertising.
In the meantime, I asked my close friends to show other people my page, maybe it will give them ideas. And guess what, I got my first paid works from the friends of my friends. Then as my page grew in content, people were slowly starting to reach for me.
The most important advice is, when you are at a paid shoot is to be confident. I was photographing topics, that I had absolutely zero idea how to do, but if you look confident, people will value your work. Direct the people with confidence, and if something doesn't work out, never say "whoops never mind, you know this is the first time I am doing this". Because that will drop your pics value to literally zero, believe me.
I'm a hobbyist photographer for now, but if I ever decide to go professional, the only genre that would bring me money (at least in my country) would be wedding photography - the one genre I don't have the guts for.
I say this because I worked as a logistics assistant for a local photographer, and believe me, by the end of the whole shoot and video recording from 5 AM to 3 AM next day, you'll wish someone brought you a bed to crash down and sleep for a couple of days straight. It does bring you huge cash per wedding, but the physical cost is astonishing.
Payed landscape, portrait, fine art, and other "less dynamic" photographers in my area? Unheard of...
Hi Ted, I think you provided some great advice right up to the wedding part. As a professional wedding photographer one of the biggest challenges these days is working around guest photographers trying to "take better photos than the hired photographer". Its really sad because the clients are the ones that suffer in the end. Guest photography has gotten so bad we now have a clause in our contract to cover it. If someone wants to gain experience and portfolio, there is a better way than showing up at a wedding with the mindset of competing with the hired pro. Try reaching out to some local wedding photographers to see if you can intern with them or at the very least carry their bags. It's not exactly working for free because you gain valuable experience from working professionals. We usually have several interns working with us each year and when they shoot we pay bonuses if we use their images. They will also get their raw files on a DVD once we deliver the finals to the client. This sort of teamwork is a win/win for intern, the pro photographer, and the client.
Hi Jason
I am a photographer starting out and I want to work weddings. I live in London and no one wants an assistant or an intern how am I meant to gain experience?
Yes but would you say if that other photographer got up and was shooting nothing that your are even shooting just for the hell of it and that person you decide to have a word with ends up being another professional photographer but is not a wedding photographer. How would you feel when he says just k ow I will stay out of your way being the pro that I am and does as he said he would. You do know very well us photographers don’t leave home without one good piece of glass and our cameras.
One other note is everyone to turn their phones to you if it’s in your contract. If you have that built into a contract then you must be worried that your self esteem is not as good as you think you are.
Great advice, I just learned something very valuable, thank you. Keep up the good work!
Thanks man! Big help for me. I'm still learning how to do a photography business.
Hi there, I have a question about different types of photography. My main interest is in alternative, abstract, experimental photography/video. I have done this as a hobby for many years and was wondering as it's such a niche area - is there money in it?
Just sub'd
So, lets get this straight... The market for photographers is way over saturated and yet you want to get into working as a photographer? Either you are lacking in the brain cell department or you don't understand how businesses operate. Short answer is DON'T get into photography; there is a massive oversupply on the producer side of the equation.
Come the summer months (when this was posted), there is a glut of recent arts graduates all struggling and about to discover the joy of flipping burgers. Do yourself a favor, don't expect to get a job as a photographer anywhere or anytime soon, unless of course, daddy is rich.....
Brian Richman It's not unlike wanting to be an "actor", many try but few succeed.
Sometimes doors opens when you persist. Yes, some graduates do "flip burgers" like you say while and others become assistants with low budget income.
If you compare any art field, you will notice that many lived on a low budget income before being renowned (whether the market is saturated or not). Others lived in poverty all their lives and were renowned after they trespassed (which is not what one wishes for).
It's a personal choice. Nobody is pulling anyone's hands here. People have objectives, dreams, and passions. And giving tips may procure them the tools they need for success.
You have to look at photography from all angles. If you don't make enough money "shooting", you can still live quite well using the medium, in between contracts. Some become teachers (tutors), others writes books, some make "prints", others do reviews, etc. Some people are happy as long as they stay in their chosen field.
And when one stays in the field, he sometimes stumble on a much awaited "opportunity".
Rejean Nantel I work in a university setting, so am familiar with the content of your comment. So many bright eyed and bushy tailed youngsters and yet so many failures because all they want to do is take photographs and fail to grasp that photography is actually only a small part of being a photographer. I would seriously council against the arts as a career if you want to be an "artist" and eat more than one meal a week. Cynical? Perhaps but a view borne out of experience.
I think the bigger questions is how to get expierence with no work.... Jk fantastic advice
Find a photographer, filmmaker or a production house and ask to work for them for free to learn stuff (value for value) Thats how I got in Gotiva production😀
Great show ,reminds me of a saying my Granddad used to say all the time "If you work for nothing you'll never be idle"
What you're saying is true. I've done free portraits for very good friends, but when they needed photos they paid another photographer whose work isn't as good as mine. They don't get any more free work, either. I sometimes do FTP with new models, but we're both getting something of value from them. And, I have a referral program where the models make a fee from referring others to me.
I have to say free work is not so bad, I shot a couple's engagement photos for free, I styled the shoot and they hired me for their wedding which they paid, also shot a model for free in my garage, the pictures ended up published in Essence Magazine. Now because I'd humbled myself to do some free work, I can now charge what I know I'm worth with a portfolio of some GREAT free work. You'll get there, love what you do and let your work speak, even free work.
Courtney Bush ... you gave them an audition ...not really the same
and have you received any paid work that came directly from your 'free' magazine/model shoot?
Ted's point is that there is working for free with no return either monetary or portfolio value. In your case you got great portfolio value and pardon the pun, great exposure. So it wasn't really working for free in that sense. Chase Jarvis has also made this point many times in his podcasts and videos. It sounds like you did really well out of it and that's great. The worst thing anyone can do and I've made this mistake is to not charge and be left with a bunch of images that will get you nowhere.
@@Viator19 Exactly!
When I was in college I started shooting weddings and portraits by posting "ads" on bulletin boards in the Student Union building. Before long, I started getting referrals from previous clients to all of their friends and ended up traveling to the home towns of numerous female students to shoot their weddings. I was paid expenses plus and pretty much paid my way through college from that point forward that way. Do NOT give your work away because that's what the customers will see and think your work is worth what they paid for it. It's not that difficult to build a good income if you're a relatively good photographer, but you have to be a better business person to make it work. You also have to be part entertainer to do weddings because you're on stage the entire time you're working. I used to have so many jokes and lines I'd use it isn't funny, but they worked. But make sure they're yours and not something you've heard elsewhere. It's hard work, but worth it. Over a five year period, I photographed over 1,000 weddings, but never did I give a single image away.
100% what I needed to hear today! Thanks for posting.
Great advice Ted.
Isamuddin Osman Thankyou Isamuddin!
Wrong, wrong, wrong... You can still believe in you and give back to those who need it most. I do both! Yes Charge! But... take each as it's own project not as a a profit or a benefit. That Benefit could turn out to be a big profit. Yes... I know...
Hi Ted, Next time you are on a commercial shoot, please let me know where. I'd love to do more commercial work and I'd love to pinch some shots from you. I'll do it in a quiet way. I know your expertise will set up the shots perfectly, so then I can swoop in a get it for my portfolio. Thanks for the advice. Bringing your camera to a wedding so you can pump up your portfolio is a terrible idea. Call a local photographer and ask them if you can assist with an understanding you'll eventually shoot for them in order to build your portfolio. I know many photographers are against this but I'm not and I know many others who are not. So get on the phone and start making calls. If you a guest, enjoy the day. Feel free to take a few shots. shot s that are important to you. Shots that have meaning to you. In NO way should you have a main goal of building your portfolio and experience at another photographers wedding. That's just wrong. Other than that point. I love your tutorials. Thank you.
This is where marketing kicks in rather than photography and that's the part I don't like. You want to make money from your photos, start thinking business, not photography... Sad but true.
Well, you can do it for charity events too! By donating your time taking photos of charity events or whatever you can get experience and working for free without losing the value of your job. You can not do this only for getting paid jobs, of course, but everybody will know that you are donating your time in that case and you will charge for another jobs
I would also think that there is a difference between proving your skill, and gaining experience to get that skill in the first place. Doing a few shoots for friends as a favor, a hobby, or as a gift, while experimenting with some areas you are weak in while doing it that way to me sounds like a smart move just starting out.
If you are doing that for someone for free (at first) and many of the shots are duds because you tried something out for the first time, what’s the worst that can happen, your friend simply will delete the ones they do not like, and take any that turned out well and be happy for it, because you shoot better pictures than they can make themselves, and the only thing it costed them was their time.
Is that not the same arrangement that photographers use to test with models, saying they will pose for you in return for shots that you make for them?
Now I am not talking about printing photos or albums or stuff like that, if they want that, then charge them unless this is a gift.
Would that not be a good way to see just how good you actually are? I get what you are saying about having confidence in what you are doing, but to me, this is very much a skill, much like fixing a car.
You can watch videos and read books on car repair, but unless you get some tools in your hands and actually get in there and do it, you can never really be able to call yourself a mechanic, or even a good handyman, without enough time under the hood to build your skills up to that level.
Please explain to me if you think I am wrong, but if you do a few of these as a test bed for your skills, and get good results, then you have invested that time in trying things out, seeing what might need changing, and correcting those problems.
Would that not be the best time to make a mistake or two, rather than have a client there expecting polished work, because you are charging them as much as the pro down the street, who has probably the skill to make good shots in one go of it?
Please understand that I take a lot of stock in what you say, because you are an established pro, but I think that is the basic question that newbies are really trying to ask you when they ask about shooting anything for free just starting out.
I can get it about what you are saying about getting a reputation about shooting stuff for free, but then again, you can start charging for things anytime as soon as you satisfy to yourself that your work is good based of the feedback of those you shot for right?
I guess another way of putting it would be that you would not want to open a doughnut shop, unless you had some killer doughnut recipes, that you have had people try first, as kind of market research of sorts first right? So why would it not be the same with your photographs if you are wanting to sell those as well?
Hey Ted, I'm in a similar boat to the person who asked the question. I'm a photography student with a fair amount of theoretical knowledge but not much experience. Here's where you lost me: Believe in yourself while getting experience? Isn't the whole point of getting experience so you CAN have that confidence? I don't want to sell myself for a job I don't have experience in only to screw it up because I don't actually know what I'm doing in that particular situation. Or are you referring to when you're looking to transition from the "value for value exchange" model you were talking about?
Every flash you fire kills your flash unit a little. Your DSLR has a lifespan in terms of shutter count. You travel to location to shoot. Your years of experience shooting are accumulative and you don't learn what you do overnight. Sure you can do some volunteer work and charity but in such areas you still need to review and also choosy about how you do it. Equipment, lenses and camera bodies costs money. If I deal with businesses or people who are considering getting better quality photos for their events - nope never free.
Don’t steal work from your brother photographers by shooting for free but go to a friends wedding and give away jpegs to the hired photographers client? What?
About the wedding advice: If there is a pro hired, don't get in the way and be a nuisance. Maybe try to shoot portraits outside/away from the action e.g.
Free = always free
Great admission that skills are not equal to success in business. showmanship often wins over quality. most clients don't know what to expect, how images could be better, technically or impact wise... they eat the cool aid of the salesman
I was second shooter for some wedding photography and one difficulty I faced was cell phones, every time I posed guests that wanted a photo, there would be many guests who also wanted to capture the same photo with their cell phones, now the focus people are confused as to w hi o to look at with people looking at their friend taking a photo next to me and everyone else looking at me. First time doing this it was sad seeing how many pictures wont make the cut. Next time I will make sure to voice up that if they would like to take photos, they may do so after I get the shot, but I did get a lot of amazing pictures and very much loved the experience of being one of their photographers. My first paid gig.
I think the biggest thing to take from this video is that there's a difference between working for free, and working for no pay
You still get paid! When you graduated from school with no working experience, do you work for free? Well maybe you get paid less, but free? No way!
What if you have zero portfolio? If you dont have anything at first I think its a good idea to do a couple of free work and after your portfolio looks full then you charge
It might land you a job the chances are pretty high
Thanks Ted. Always on Point! I needed to hear that about confidence. I've been struggling with that lately. Love ya buddy.
Miss you Sasha! Hope you all are well!!!
We are! :) Coming down anytime soon?
Absolutely terrific advice for people starting out in the business. Value for value and don't work for free. Superb advice on "take your camera to events that you can bring your camera to develop your portfolio." A lot of people talk themselves out of that because they don't want to impose by carrying around a camera, but you end up short-changing yourself if you want to build up a portfolio." Thanks, Ted.
Thank you so much! I want to get into wedding photography but had no idea how to start, and I did not really want to do it for free for the same reasons you said.
I needed to hear this. Thank you for your answer!!
well said Ted, just believe in yourself.
confidence is the key, working for free is actually destroying your image! is that how you market your self?
another amazing episode!
I draw portraits and the same applies, NEVER do work for free, especially when they ask you
I really enjoyed this video. Thanks for taking the time to make it, and share your guidance and knowledge! Liked, subscribed, and looking forward to more! THANK YOU!
Great advice.
There is a value in working for trade and that's for sure, but to reiterate what I wrote in the comments underneath the other video related to this subject, there is no need to do any free jobs in order to build your portfolio (and trade means trade, not for free). If I were to start anew, without any images now, I would either shoot images I can sell to advertising agencies (so conceptual portraiture or lifestyle / fashion type of stuff) or I would at least trade my skills for goods (like dresses, accessories etc) or favours (like shooting or exhibition or workshop space I can use) and start charging as soon as I have done a few shoots like that. This doesn't mean I don't give discounts (well, I don't but I have different ways of negotiating specific terms and conditions). This doesn't mean I wouldn't shoot for a friend, but even if I'm doing personal work, I need to know that I either can sell it to someone, or at least use it in some way that's going to be beneficial (and I'm not calling beneficial just adding another image to my portfolio).
David Meyer Hi David, happy to see you are here again =) I'm in the process of getting my photography business / career going and I recently decided to get into portraiture / lifestyle / fashion. I have a small portfolio in architecture / travel / street/ landscape but nearly nothing in other types. I'm curious about how I sell my work to ad agencies etc. ? Right now I'm just doing trades to get people to sit for me but that will be the next step. I really need "photography business" experience. Thank you!
Bryan Shay Hi Bryan. I wouldn't like to hijack Mr Forbes' channel and his advice is sound and applies to your question as well.
As for selling your images, if you are confident in their quality, you can try simply approaching the agencies. If you don't have contacts inside them, the only way is the way of approaching them politely and being prepared to hear no or not hear anything at all. Another thing I could recommend, especially if you are just starting, is a service called ImageBrief. Essentially it's a macro stock agency, you may be able to sell images to various clients worldwide with rights managed or royalty free licences (you can choose the briefs to submit your images to). Good thing about them is that you have a clear description of images needed, which can give you an idea what kind of photos clients are looking for and also good ideas for your own shoots.
As for portrait, lifestyle and fashion, my genre is mostly beauty and it means specific clients. But when I was starting shooting with models, I had zero portaits in my portfolio. I had macro stuff, bugs, flowers, random buildings, landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. I couldn't even put together a profile on any of the modelling websites. I was starting in a new city, without many contacts I could fall back on. But I could put an ad on local classified ads website and had my first (pretty rubbish) portraits in the first two weeks. For the next few years I had a full time job, so I wasn't shooting for clients too often. You are bound to know some people who will be willing to sit for you and help you out: family, friends etc. Try putting together some simple concepts and shooting them. After that, it's really either word of mouth or cold calling. If you have networking possibilities in your area, try using them to your advantage. If not, it's cold calling. So again, a path of rejection, hard knocks, getting up and going forward.
David Meyer Many thanks for the great advice David. I signed up to ImageBrief and this looks like a perfect way to get my feet wet, regardless of how successful it ends up being, it educates me about the overall market and gets me in the "business mindset" which I have little experience with.
I'm in a somewhat special situation as I live in Taiwan and have to deal with not only finding clients but a language and culture barrier as well. Thankfully I speak Chinese, but not completely fluently. Facebook is actually a really good networking tool here but I've yet to see how effective it will be when I really start looking for paying clients or more complicated shoots. Beyond that I do have a growing network of friends but I haven't lived here that long so everything is still in the early stages. I'm ready for the rejection. Living abroad has taught me a great deal about that already. On the other hand, some people are more friendly than usual due to being a foreign face, so it all depends.
What exactly is the beauty genre as opposed to fashion or portrait?
Bryan Shay Then you are in a location that is exotic to many people and there are travel locations to shoot there. You could give it a go, look at what travel agencies show in their advertising, so you have some overview of the styles that are shown. And then you could try looking for agencies both locally and globally that sell that type of photography and start approaching them.
David Meyer Thanks again for your excellent advice David. None of my friends / family are into serious photography so you (along with Ted) are the closest person I have to a mentor haha =)
Bartering for work is not working for free, and is a good workaround. Great advice again!
exactly!
This is fantastic advice! It is true for so many occupations. Thank you!
This insightful. Thanks for your advice, Ted.
Can you explain what do you mean by not given away the source file? Ok I keep hearing the word confidence ... I have to fix that. Telling people you just starting out is something I didn't consider when showing confidence. Thanks for this video.
very insightful. this should definitely help me make better decisions in the future
I went to shoot an event in my university for fun since they were having fun anyway, and one of the juniors thought it's a brilliant idea to embarrass me online and publicly label me as a sexual harasser, just because I was shooting people but not part of the university photography team.
Needless to say, I ended up firing back at her and get a bit of support from close friends.
Amazing. Thank you for the advice. So simple yet overlooked. I was already considering doing a photoshoot for free to get my portfolio, Thank you for changing that.
Nice advice Ted.
I have one that I can offer. Too many people rely on the Web to get notice. There are much too many people to compete with there and the chances that you well get notice are relatively small.
"Prints" is what can make the difference. While everybody sends digitize versions of photographs there are a lesser number of people that "print" their photographs.
Where am-I going with this?
You got to be creative to be "seen". In small communities, it is quite easy to go to your local library, theater and hotel to show your prints. Many display "artworks" of unknown artists waiting to be discovered.
There people will see you photographs on the walls, in between representations, and discuss your work while having a drink or a conversation. That's the "real world", the one that differs from the "virtual one". Get alive, grab you "courage", "approach the people in charge" and believe in yourself. And like Ted said "have confidence", "BELIEVE".
can't wait to get a notebook and binge on this whole channel
Thanks for your POV, Ted!
One of the most useful videos, at least for me.
Building your portfolio without getting paid is still working for free... I don't get your point. And I would definitely recommend that, nothing wrong with it. In fact when you go to school you actually PAY to work, in other industries you pay to do fake work (Exercises) that don't matter to anyone but you. It is simply a matter of how you frame it in your head. No one can categorize you as "a person who does work for free" to the entire world. Once you're done building your portfolio just stop doing free work.
Shooting events is a great suggestion...BUT - don't step on another photographer's toes!! If you take your camera to a wedding, respect the hired photographer. Treat others as you would be treated. Advice like this can poison photography by creating cut throat mentality. IF you DO shoot an event, identify those photographers who have been HIRED to capture the event and BE THEIR FRIEND. That will get you more work, they will throw you their overflow even if you aren't a great photographer. DON'T STEP ON OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS AT THEIR GIGS!
I have lived this. Other photographers throw work at me. Don't be "a dick".
I did the same thing with a friends wedding last month. everybody is telling me how great my photos are, it's definitely inspired me to keep taking more photos and hopefully i will be able to get some paid work on the side as a supplemental income, soon enough
Thanks you very much Ted! Your latest advice videos are invaluable to me and couldn't come at a better time in my life.
I do unit stills, and my rule has become I do 2-3 shoots a year for free. I shoot a 48HR project for free, may do one or two of those in a year. And I may do 1 student/no budget indie in a year for a project that is recommended to me by a friend and I really like the concepts. These projects act as networking for me, especially since I'm in a small film market. Now, I do make make $100-200 bucks by selling photos and prints from the shoot to cast and crew, but that is never reliable.
Otherwise I charge for all other projects, even if it's a nominal day rate for student or no budget indie films.
People will pay a lot of money for inferior photos because they think $=quality. That's not necessarily true. And, he's right. Once you work for someone for free they'll never pay you, but will call someone else. That sound silly, but true.
It's about understanding what 'free' really means. Are they helping you build a portfolio, giving you access to valuable networks of people or just giving you a chance to learn the ropes on something you're not comfortable with yet as a beginner? These are all valuable in their own right, and you could equate this to monetary value. Look at the worlds leading entrepreneurs - some will even charge interns for the access and experience, sort of like a paid course but fully practical. If people are willing to PAY TO WORK, then there must be some value there, and we can learn from this as creative freelancers.
I have people asking me if they can help on jobs for free all the time, as a second shooter or a BTS videographer. I haven't said yes yet as the opportunity hasn't been around, but the day I bring someone along you can be damn sure I'll make sure they get something for their portfolio and a bunch of connections that can offer them paid work in the future.
Look out for the scum bag clients that want to take advantage; stand your ground when the value you provide outweighs the non-monetary value that they can offer you; never say never when you could be putting yourself years ahead with high end client networks and valuable experience.
My dad owned a studio in Richmond VA back in the 50’s. He did mostly commercial work and portraits with a 8x10 Deardorf. He was able to develop his own film, including color which was a huge deal back then. He would buy the rights to some portraits and use them for displays. He knew that the patrons of the local ballet company were the top of society because one of the models he worked with was a member . He approached the director of the company and got the rights to shoot for free, and print for cost. Those four free jobs got him so much more contract jobs that he had to hire an assistant to work with him. The key was he got his photos in front of the people who owned businesses and were influential. It’s tougher today because everyone who has a DSLR thinks they are Ansel Adams
Don't work for free but work for value aka no money exchanges hands aka "free" by most peoples standards.
Really sound advise, unfortunately as you rightly said people who are artistically the best are not always the most successful. I run a small business & again as you pointed out confidence in selling yourself is paramount if you don't believe in what you are capable of then no one else will be either. Thanks for sharing your experiences & skills.
No matter what there are always a couple thumbs downers for your videos...what's wrong with these people? Who doesn't like Ted Forbes??!! Thanks for another great one, Ted.
Jon Reaves - This happens everywhere, on all videos that are just fine no matter how you look at it. Even on videos that are all about charity and what not. I think there's always a bunch of bot-votes anyway... Then there are possibly some real people who came by, either got bored or expected something different, hit Dislike, and left. - Few will probably genuinely dislike the video, if anyone at all.
Freeloaders who want people to serve them like serfs... They'll totally make you rich when their million dollar idea bows up.
This doesn't help with experience client requirements. You're just showing up snapping photos, good or not.
fuck... wish I saw this before. I did the whole free thing, then started charging and lost all my "friends" whom found someone else to shoot thier cars for free... fml.
One more thing...Find another photographer who is working and making money and see if they will let you follow them to learn or shoot as a second. The best way to learn is to watch someone who does it for a living and many times they can use someone to carry equipment or help set up lights or even act as a human light stand. Whatever works!
I do work for free! however, its for pet rescues, etc, and I have made it a point to offer to the Military some free stuff, instead of money, I can give my time, other than that,No, but I might throw a B & W in.
Great video, really helpful advices given. Love your channel!
do what you like in full understanding of what that means. Don't just do what self opinionated people tell you you should do when they are already successful and have people chasing them and are scared of people dhooting for free because that is what they want to do. Just so not be taken advantage of. be prepared to day know to someone that asks I you do not want to do that job for free.
Most professional photographers will not let another photographer follow him around and take advantage of his experience. A better possibility is to become an assistant to the main photographer for little or no pay.
From time to time I offer portfolio builds. I get photos for promoting myself and they get great photos. This is not working for free. I get to pick and choose the models and on top of that they feel like they are part of something special and feel connected to my brand.
Such INCREDIBLE advice thank you!!
great video, exactly what I needed to hear today.
killed it! Awesome Video Ted. Thank you very much
Top man! Absolutely the right advise.
It's better to work at cost, then it is to work for free. It is better still to work slightly above cost.
Once you worked for free, you could never step into paid work.
Absolutely 100%. To quote Chase Jarvis "Its either full fee or for free (portfolio value only)"
It’s a difficult time when you’re first starting out, heck I still am as well. I understand that you need confidence to portray yourself better, but also a wedding is very serious and if you mess up you could end up in a lawsuit for ruining that. They will not have those cherished memories. Anyways, what I’ve been doing now is working for free for family only. Everyone else understands that it’s only free because they are family. Now when it’s a very close friend, I tell them it’s my gift for them and that is what it is, a gift. So I don’t buy them anything or give them cash at their event because that IS my gift. Anyways that’s what I’ve been doing so far and I’ve been getting little gigs here and there got graduations and such. Next weekend is my first wedding so hopefully all goes well. I hope the experience I’ve gotten up until now will show.
This is great advice. I don't do photography, videography is my thing but the information still applies. This has been my question and people keep saying do free work but I will take this advice instead.
Ted... You're the best Photography Advisor. Keep it up man.
***** thanks!
Well done. The right and very good advice.
Good idea about how to get wedding pictures
here is when the issue starts to come into play, When I am trying to take some good photos of portraits and display them to people who might be interested in hiring me, would it be best if I was to take photos of friends and family for free to display my work to the Public and when someone hires me to charge them a fee knowing then I have some sort of proof to show them
I love you man...But showing up to someone else's gig and trying to outdo them is just rude. Im surprised by this attitude.
This is very good and honest advice.
If you work for free you can get experience
This might be a kind of different question, but seriously: Where did you get this shirt? Can you tell me the brand, please? I really like your show and I am very excited to see how contra.st will turn out. Good luck with that :-) Best regards!
Maybe not the best example of getting work but Robert Capa said " I invented that Bob Capa was a famous American photographer who came over to Europe" and used this persona to get work, but maybe try being a little more confident before lying!
When you go to school, you pay to learn, when you go to college, you pay to learn.
Charging people when you are not experienced is one of the reasons why people are so scared of the word professional photographer. There is a difference between a camera owner and a professional photographer, just like I have a guitar that I am still learning how to play, doesn't mean I am a musician, it means I am a guitar owner learning how to play.
Free is fine, as long as it is your own choice. Like the example of your friend in the building offering headshots. Because with that it is portfolio for him and experience. But charging when you are learning is really not, the amount of complaints you see on Facebook about "professional" photographers is hilarious, because they always look for the cheapest then complain, these should be done as free shoots, where the photographer then gets experience and the client gets images.
Great advice here. I definitely don't advocate free work but I definitely recommend what you do - trading of services when building a portfolio. It's all about the wording, definitely.
I agree that you shouldn't work for free, because I believe in fair trade. Even if you want to be generous, at least ask something in return, like even if it's a friendly connection maybe you get a service in return. - But I slightly disagree that you should never do it for free, because first of all, it IS experience no matter what, so you can definitely do it for your own benefit. On top of that, it's still a way to put yourself out there, and even IF people come to you expecting you're working for free just because someone you've done it for before said so, you can still go "Yes, but I charge so and so (now).", and that doesn't necessarily have to scare them off. - They might've come to you just because they like your work enough and maybe they even think it's worth paying for, and this potential customer might not have come along if you didn't do it for free for the person that recommended you to them.
So yes, don't just work for free, but also don't not work for free. It doesn't mean that you're a charity, it means that you're flexible and you'll only get more opportunities. Of course there are more factors, like how much effort it takes, such as it could be a straightforward shoot of a few portraits that takes less than an hour to do, or they ask you to be there all day for a wedding or something, that's a huge difference.
Myself I've even offered to do stuff for free for my own fun and experience and they're likely to tell about me. Doesn't necessarily mean anyone new coming to me assumes that I'll be their photographer puppet... Just saying.
You're SO right! I sunk my entire business the first time around, because I started taking a specific type of photos, for free, and even though my work has been featured on event websites, business cards, fliers, etc., I NEVER got the paying jobs. They called me every time they wanted great photos, source photos and all, but NOT for the paying jobs. I provided hundreds of hours of work, great results they were thrilled with, and made a ton of connections and friendships; even though everyone said they preferred my work over others, they would end up paying astronomical fees to others when it came time for a paying gig. Ultimately, it's MY work they chose to utilize and display, but the others walked away with the money and the photo credits. I'm in the process of re-opening now, but I'm taking a much different approach. I have faith and confidence in my work, and I love that you pointed out that you have to believe in yourself and see your own value. I used to feel too cocky, and think it was a display of hubris to tell others how much I do value my work and my skills, but you're so right in pointing out that self-deprecation doesn't instill confidence in you OR your potential clients. It took a lot of soul searching to realize my own worth as an artist, and I wish I'd seen this video all those years ago. Great job - just wanted to add my testimony to this, since I've been there, and made the exact mistakes and miscalculations you identified here. It took me 2 years of frustration and heartache to learn what you said in 8 and a half minutes, and you couldn't have said it any better than you did!
Thank you for your advice, I've been shooting for about 3 years and have a great amount of experience shooting, and big thanks to great people like you with fantastic advice, I will be meeting my first clients this Sunday, kind of nervous going crazy about how i want this meeting to be successful and productive, trying to get an impressionable business card.... any suggestions??
I completely agree, it works for a lot of things. Unfortunately, I'm unemployed at the moment, but I do get experience in my field. I do repairs and help out with computer problems (I'm an electronics engineer...) for friends and get "paid" in other ways. I can stay for dinner, or if I need something they will help me... By now I even get complete strangers asking me to do repair work for them, because they heard that I do a better job than others. For those jobs I do get paid. It really helps to get experience, and to keep up with developments in your line of work. With photography it's the same. I took some pictures at local events for myself, posted a few on facebook, and now people actually ask me to take pictures for them. Not yet for money, but definitely not for free either.
This video has really added to my knowledge of how to gain work experience that leads on to payed work. Personally I do believe free work can benefit you as a photographer as I personally shoot a friends band regularly and i have gained a portfolio on 'band photography' which has led me to gain work from other bands/friends of friends that want portraits/family photos doing due to this(which were payed). Im 17 years old and am trying to gain entry into the photography world, and believe the foundations of this un-payed work has/will further lead onto payed work. This is just my view and believe this video was a very helpful insight into my next steps and how to work in the future. As always Ted, great and inspirational video, thanks!
Thank you for the great advice! I'm not looking to become a photographer but I am planning on doing video and audio work (pre and post production). All the advice from these videos carries over perfectly.
I’m a couple years behind watching this , but I certainly needed it. Very good, wise advice and encouragement. I am just starting, but love what I do. Very good key points here and in each video I have watched of yours. Thank you!
Well put Ted. Thanks.
Sir,
This episode may have been the most important lesson I have learned sice wanting to become a photographer.
Thank you.
You are everything I have been looking for to help me discover this new road I have chosen. I am learning just as much about myself and being a good person as I am about being a excellent photographer. I hope one day O may get the chance to thank you in person.
Chris Beckett
I just rewatched this. I've been trying to do work as a live music photographer and I have bands contacting me about it now due to me starting out doing free work. It's a bit hard to get out of "the free work dude" agenda now. Specially since there is another well respected photographer in my area that also does free work. If you read this, do you haveany tips on how to get paid work while having free competition?
very well said. I liked your point about making a distinction between how you see your work and progress on a personal level and how you should see it on a professional level. And it also applies to many fields, not just photography.
I very much enjoy your content. Keep putting yourself out, you are one of those artists that inspire.
Trade off really works. One day a barber asked me if he could cut my hair because he wanted to work at a barbershop that was hiring. I went along with it because I needed a hair cut too so he got to cut my hair and I got my hair cut for FREE!
BRAVO!!! Take the advice never work for free! Your work has value!!!
Thanks a lot Ted. This was meaningful advice and I never looked at this from your perspective. This helped a lot.
Thank you for this video.. everything I've been thinking. And I don't value my work enough, I need to change that.
Thanks Ted. I think the only saving grace I have in the photography business is that I just have to be confident. I have made some sales that I still can't believe.
I heard every word ....absolutely true & it really couldn't have been put in a better way!! ...Bravo!